WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL-CHRONICLE EXAMINER. March 11, 2009: Mayor Joseph Delfino told the White Plains Common Council tonight the city was in a budget “emergency.”  Just four months ago in October, the city said it was in good shape  financially (after a robust first quarter) but watchful and worried. That has changed dramatically.

 

 

To address an immediate need to fill a $9.3 Million plus budget gap, Mayor Joseph Delfino  introduced three home rule requests Wednesday evening. The first  requests an additional ¼% in sales tax for the city from the state legislature, another establishing a municipal development agency and a third requesting the establish of separate commercial and residential tax rates for the city.

 

He hoped the council would grant the requests for home rule tonight in order that the Mayor could go to Albany before April 6 and lobby for passage of the ¼% sales tax, the municipal development agency and separate tax rates with Assembly Legislators Richard Brodsky, Legislator Adam Bradley and Legislator Amy Paulin.

 

The Common Council, with Dennis Power and Tom Roach citing lack of information on what cuts the Mayor had made in the budget,  voted 4-2 with Councilpersons Benjamin Boykin, Milagros Lecuona, to table the Mayor’s three “home rule”  resolutions until the pros and cons  could be discussed in public at the Common Council meeting of April 6 when the 2009-2010 budget is introduced. Councilperson Rita Malmud was not at the meeting. Councilman Glen  Hockley and the Mayor opposed the table.

The top side number of the 09-10  City Budget (projected by WPCNR at about $167 Million if the city rolls over the current budget at a 4%  and delivers union raises  of 3-4% across the board, and $161 Million if the city keeps the budget at the present level),   remains a mystery at this point. Paul Wood, Executive Officer, and the Mayor did not reveal what that budget number was currently on the table. There have been no public meetings called by the Mayor to discuss the budget since October.

 

Mayor Delfino  began the proceedings by saying he called the meeting to readdress budget issues that had come up last year ( a ½ % sales tax increase – which the council cut to ¼%–  and the city municipal development agency) that the council had rejected.

 

He said “the city is truly facing a financial emergency,” and that the issue of an additional ¼%  sales tax should be “relooked at as we look at so many things we’re doing and looking into the future, it’s important we look at every possible revenue, rethink and be extremely creative. There is no more (expenses)  to cut. We know the issues,” the Mayor said sternly, (sales tax ), “I need direction (from the Council). I cannot spend time in Albany talking to our legislators the next three weeks without a home rule request (from the council).”

 

Council President Benjamin Boykin said, “I’m a little confused, why it can’t be dealt with at our regular meeting in April.”

 

The Mayor testily replied it would take “considerable time discussing it (the three home rule requests) in Albany, and I’m not going to do that if I’m not assured I’m going to get a home rule request (from the Council).”

 

The Mayor continued, “We’ve massacred expenses,” saying the council would see that when they received the budget, “that’s the point.”

 

 

CouncilmanTom Roach (far left)  interjected, wanting to know what those budget cuts were. The Mayor’s Office has for the last six  weeks, declined repeated WPCNR requests for a detailed list of all budget cuts by department, layoffs and cost cutting moves. The Mayor declined to say how much he had cut from the budget tonight.

 

 “I can’t decide without information (on the cuts),” Roach said,  “I need to see more of the budget.”

 

The Mayor grumbled, saying the council should be aware the city is facing a $9.3 Million budget shortfall going into the next year  and “it could be higher.”  The Mayor said “There is no revenue.”

 

He said the fund balance would be used to take care of the present shortfall, leaving the city with no cushion for the 2009-10 budget, which was why the home rule requests were introduced, to get the revenue tools in play.

 

The Mayor repeated that the city faced a $9.3 Million budget gap because there was no development, dropping building permits issuances to almost zero. He chided the council for refusing certain projects (the Cappelli Station Plaza project comes to mind).  He also cited the sales tax is down and the mortgage tax collections, and parking fines are down (“you can’t fine cars that aren’t here.”)  He mentioned the Zoning Board did not meet and the Planning Board met for one hour at its last meeting.

 

Roach said, despite the Mayor’s argument the sales tax does not affect most residents adversely,“Before I can agree to raise taxes and more fees, “ he needed to see the expense cuts.

 

The Mayor said, “Every day our situation is getting worse.”

 

 

Councilman Dennis Power jumped in, saying  that when the Mayor described tonight’s meeting as an emergency financial meeting, he felt “the public needs to be involved.”

 

The Mayor majestically stated, “Mr. Power, I have noticed you are process oriented. I’m results-oriented.”

Power pointed out that the last two televised Common Council meetings lasted 20 and 19 minutes and the financial issue was not discussed.  However, no member of the Common Council spoke up on financial concerns at either of those two meetings, either.

 

Exasperated, Power introduced a motion to table the three resolutions until April 6. Benjamin Boykin quickly seconded. The Mayor wanted to discuss it further, but Power pointed out the motion to table had been moved and seconded. The roll was called. The resolutions tabled, 4-2  and the meeting abruptly.

 

 

The council was observed by representatives of the Civil Service Employees Association, and the police and fire unions, all of whom are working without contracts. Police and fire personnel were denied a 3.75% pay increase by the council in December.

 

By voting to table, the council missed an opportunity to call on Acting Budget Commissioner David Birdsall (whom they had rejected as unqualified for the position in December) to explain the budget and expense cutting in detail that had been done to date and to clarify what the possible budget now under consideration was.

 

Mr. Birdsall, Paul Wood, City Executive Officer, and City Assessor Lloyd Tasch, and Parking Department brass, Commissioner of Parking Albert Moroni and Deputy Commissioner John Larson were in attendance in the audience though no parking matters were on the agenda that concerned their agency.

 

Paul Wood interviewed by WPCNR said he could not comment on what the city position with the unions was. The union personnel left before WPCNR could collar them, but their leaders have not returned calls in the past. Two police officers asked by WPCNR what the union had been telling them about the state of their in limbo pay raise,  respectfully declined to comment

 

Wood declined to say what the projected budget was.

 

 

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WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. MARCH 10, 2009: A Special Meeting of the Common Council has been called for Wednesday evening at 6 P.M. On the agenda is a resolution calling for the state to allow White Plains to establish a Municipal Development Agency, and a resolution asking the state legislature to raise the White Plains Sales Tax an additional 1/4% (to 2.5%. 8-1/4% overall). None of the resolutions have been discussed during a  previous work session prior to this date to this reporter’s knowledge

The Agenda:

1.                  Communication from the Mayor in relation to requests for the passage of State legislation to establish a White Plains Municipal Development Agency, to support adoption of the classification of real property into two classes for purposes of allocation of taxes in certain cities, and adding an additional one-quarter of one percent Sales and Compensating Use Tax.

 

2.                              Resolution of the Common Council of the City of White Plains authorizing the certification of a Home Rule Request seeking enactment of State legislation amending the General Municipal Law to establish the White Plains Municipal Development Agency (Assembly Bill No. A1021).

 

3.                              Resolution of the Common Council of the City of White Plains supporting the introduction and adoption of State legislation to amend the Real Property Tax Law in relation to authorizing the classification of real property into two classes for purposes of allocation of taxes in certain cities.

 

4.                                          Resolution of the Common Council of the City of White Plains supporting the introduction and adoption of New York State legislation to amend the Tax Law in relation to authorizing the City of White Plains to impose an additional one-quarter of one percent Sales and Compensating Use Tax.

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WPNCR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. March 9. 2009: The Board of Education meets this evening and will unveil the latest version of the touchy 2009-2010 School Budget. Will they cut or will they not?

 

As analyzed on White Plains Week last Friday night and its internet telecast, at www.whiteplainsweek.com, (see the telecast at 7 tonight on Public Access 76 (Cablevision) or  FIOS Channel 45) WPCNR notes that with the drop of the city assessment roll of  about $5 Million dollars, the school budget going into this evening’s meeting ($185.9 Million) needs to raise taxes $16 per $1,000 to $519/$1,000 of assessed value to make up for the lost $4.3 Million in revenues due to the drop in the assessment roll to $186.8 Million. Tonight, it is expected the district will go over its expected revenues, which may or may not result in a larger tax increase.

 

Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors is expected to announce layoffs. The meeting is open to the public at 5 Homeside Lane, Education House at 7:30 P.M. Also on the agenda is approvals of substitute teachers and extra-curricular activity appointments.

 

 

The head of the White Plains Teachers Association, Kerry Broderick,  told WPCNR last week, the district is planning to fire 24 certified teachers, 20 Teaching Assistants, plus secretaries, custodians and security guards adding up to a total of 58 layoffs in order to make further cuts in the budget. The teachers union is currently in state-supervised mediation talks with the district over their impasse in salary and benefits negotiations,

 

Broderick said the mood of negotiations is not good. She charged that no administrators were being cut. The Superintendent of Schools, Timothy Connors told WPCNR, he did not know where those numbers came from and that there would “across-the-board” layoffs, including administrators. Broderick said the school board was taking the attitude that “the board thinks we (the teachers) owe them so much.” She charged that “negotiating with the School Board is like negotiating with JELL-O. Every time I think we have something, they change their mind. It (a new contract) is in their hands, I don’t know what they’re going to do.”

 

Connors said he would detail the cuts in personnel this evening.

 

From a city standpoint, the Common Council is expressing no interest or concern about the budget publicly. With the drop in the city assessment roll to $285.2 Million, if the city keeps the budget the same as it is this year, $161.7 Million the district needs $1 Million to “catch up” with the assessment drop. The city tax rate will go from $147 per $1,000 of assessed value to $151/$1,000 – if the city keeps the budget where it is.

 

If they roll over the budget to $168. Million, the tax rate will go up to $173 per $1,000 of assessed valuate. Your city tax for a $700,000 home will go from $2,700 to $3,200, up $500. If the city does a modest budget increase to $165 Million – they will need only a $159 per $1,000 of value and the city tax on the $700,000 will go up only $238 to $2,938.

 

Since the city has not even projected revenues yet  which the city says is expected to be down about $9 Million plus – that would have to be figured into any tax increase in addition, unless of course the city decides to cut the budget substantially.

 

To date, the city has said they have cut the budget, and there has been talk of the city entailing contingency budgets for next year. To date despite weekly requests by WPCNR for detailed lists of the cuts, the city has not confirmed any, and has not given a list of the cuts.

 

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WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. From Westchester County Association. March 9. 2009: Governor David A. Paterson  announced that the pension reform proposal included in his 2009-10 Executive Budget will save taxpayers a cumulative total of $48.5 billion over the next 30 years. The following announcement was made by the Governor’s office yesterday.  “I recognize the important contribution public employees make to life in New York.  But in this time of fiscal crisis, we need to implement reforms across all areas of State spending,” said Governor Paterson.  “The changes I have proposed will continue to deliver a secure retirement for pensioners, but at a more affordable cost to taxpayers.  We must use our current fiscal crisis as an opportunity to make smart choices today that will pay big dividends in the future, particularly for overburdened local property taxpayers.”
Governor Paterson’s Executive Budget would create a new tier of pension benefits (TierV) for most newly hired public employees.  Many of the proposed changes for Tier V would remove pension enhancements added in recent years to Tier IV.  These new rules include restoring the minimum retirement age from 55 to 62; requiring employees to continue contributing a percentage of their salaries towards pension costs for their entire careers rather than ending contributions after ten years; increasing the 2 percent multiplier threshold from 20 to 25 years; restoring the minimum years of service required to draw a pension from five to ten years; and others.
 
Local governments and the State would immediately realize savings from these proposals because their required contributions to their respective pension funds for new employee hires subject to Tier V would be lower than that for current employees.
 
Clearly we are gratified by the Alliance’s work led by Dick French President of RNN and we deeply appreciate the support of our membership.
 
A copy of the full impact of the pension reform is available at http://www.budget.state.ny.us/pubs/press/2009/finalPensionReport.pdf 

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WPCNR PHOTOGRAPH OF THE DAY. By the WPCNR ROVING PHOTOGRAPHER. March 6, 2009: The professional liquidators taking care of the business of wiping Fortunoff in White Plains and the “Forties” at points West and East off the face of the earth, stepped up the advertising from last week’s lone Advertising Operative (man with sign in front of store) to this mobile billboard circulating about the streets of White Plains yesterday.  

A sad sight. Soon Fortunoff’s will be just a pleasant retail memory only old-time shopoholics remember. Photo by the WPCNR Roving Photographer

Who remembers now Wallachs, Floorscheim Shoes, Knapps Shoes, Borders, B. Altman & Company, Robert Hall, Saks Fifth Avenue, JC Penney, Woolworths 5 and 10, and in more recent memories: Korvettes (pronounced Core Vetties), Caldor’s, Crazy Eddie (His Prices Are Insane), A & S, Pipe & Bowl? When every store you strolled by was interesting to go into? Well, most every store.

Like old baseball fans,when serious shoppers like my mother get together, these are the experiences they swap, remember, and trade, talking about the great bargains they had, the certain feel of their favorite store, the great buys they got, the in-store cafes and snack bars. Where is that stimulus by way Washington? Have we stimulated the banks, the brokers, the investment banks, the insurance companies, the mortgage companies and taken care of our rich buddies enough already? Buddy can you just lower the principal of my loan just a tad? All I want is a few grand — not 40 Billion.

Will we wait until the last store has left the malls?

Who has White Plains lost this year? Fortunoff, Borders, The Corner Nook (which could still have been in business by the way if not for the Common Council), Circuit City, Filene’s Basement, Todai, the Japanese seafood place, not too mention the stores closed from construction projects not started, 10 shops along Mamaroneck Avenue and some shops in the Galleria, which continues to draw traffic, a bright spot. However, The Westchester is not drawing very well at all, except for The Apple Store which draws customers  lots of them every hour of the day. The Westchester Pavilion has good draws at MacDonald’s and Sports Authority, but without Borders, they hurt.

Malls have to think about knocking out their outrageous parking fees down to zero.  The City has to declare a Sales Tax Free day or a cut in the sales tax for one day a week, as my colleague Jim Benerofe suggests. We still have the best shopping in Westchester, the safest city, a fine restaurant line up if a tad expensive, but the Iron Tomato, City Limits, Dorry’s Diner, Brooklyn’s Famous Pizza and Subs, the pizza stops, fill in the gaps for us deadbeat reporters, but the Malls need help.

Shop White Plains Card Coming

The BID (Business Improvement District) is about to launch a  “Shop White Plains” Card for its BID Members, but it has to do a lot more than just offer discounts, and it needs to be out there soon. Or at least free-parking or a get-out-of-a-parking ticket free pass with purchase. Parades are not the only answer.

Get some of those Street Ambassadors to explain the new parking machines that the White Plains Department of Parking Commissar of Coin has installed. Mr. Moroni is the most efficient of the city Commissioners, perhaps a little too efficient, since the reputation of the Parking Enforcement Officers has spread worldwide.  

No offense, Mr. Commissar, you are just doing your revenue raising mission, and that is a good thing within reason.) However, everytime I go out to park in White Plains, I end up having a person come up to me asking me “how do I use this machine?” like they used to ask how to play a jukebox in the 50s.  I am not making this up. The machines are not “well-signed.” That has to be fixed.

Young and old alike stop me for explanations of the machines. It happens to me too often to not mean that understanding the “Moroniolas”  is not a problem. Despite the fast-moving  “Black and White Scat Cars” of the Parking Enforcement Elite Strike Force

(I am just having fun with a purpose, Parking Enforcement Officers. White Plainsians,  who pay parking fines, appreciate your professionalism and quick-strike capability and respect it, and you have made us agonizingly sensitive to each tick of the clock, measuring out our lives in 15 minute, 25 cent segments,  which perhaps kills off that last minuter impulse purcahse. It is fortunate White Plains Parking Violations does not have the death penalty, because we’d be targeted nationally.) 

But it is significant that parking fine collections were down $800,000 the first 7 months of the year. People are either getting the message all too well that parking is a nightmare in White Plains, or it’s the economy. Could it be a little of both?

Where is the Under Assistant West Coast Sharp Promotion Man or Woman?

We need serious promotion of this city, here. Coordinate sales in stores better with the gazillion parades. On the Juneteenth Parade every minority from miles around should be in this city this year. Make it an Obama Day! 

Or, not too late to do this: How about $5, $1, whatever  off every purchase if wearing green on St. Pat’s Day?  Come on BID, bail your merchants out, make a start. The Shop White Plains Card is a good idea…but let’s make it really valuable.

Have a talent show downtown.

Keep the Wheels in WP

You also have to do something to make people buy cars in White Plains — not in Mamaroneck, Yonkers,  or on Central Ave. Offer some sort of big sales tax reduction: Buy a car in White Plains, we pay a quarter of your sales tax, or something like that. Once the car dealers start pulling out of WP you are really hurting and they won’t be back. You have to help them survive

Help Media Help

Where are the radio station remote broadcasts of the past that used to draw traffic? Of course, you don’t have radio stations today that are part of the community or consider themselves a part of it -they are promotionally brain dead. I cannot remember when I last tuned in WFAS, WVOX or WHUD. No news, just sports, and the school closings. Bring back Bob E. Lloyd! Murray Bennett. There is no good reason to listen to FAS anymore. But, if they started serving the community, maybe we would.  Radio station remotes would bring that back.

I cannot remember when I saw the WFAS truck in White Plains. And how about News 12 giving a White Plains News Cast  or segment in their regular programming? I know one guy who could do it — Peter Katz, but no matter who does it News 12 should do it.  If worse comes to worse the BID could buy a simple promotion segment on News 12 and promo the city progress and News 12 could run it.  A News 12-a-thon in White Plains during one of the parades. or even on a non-parade weekend — say July 4 — what a good thing.

Department of Promotion, Please

You have to make White Plains attractive to shoppers again. Is anyone thinking out there in the downtown? Has anyone noticed how empty our premier malls are?

Though we are the place to drink and date in Westchester County, and the safest place to eat and drink, thanks to the White Plains Department of Public Safety  (moving vio tickets with a smile, DUIs tenderly, understandingly handled,  disorderly conducts smoothly conducted away), and despite issuing liquor licenses at the fastest pace in the free world,  White Plains needs to tell our shopping story better as a community before all the stores leave.

Remember once a big box store leaves, and you have to give them incentive to come in again and that usually costs us a lot more than it does to keep them here but running professional promotions — more of them — not that I am saying the city has not tried to promote itself well in the past — but the time to promote more is when things are going bad. Not pull back.

I am sorry if I offended anyone, this was just supposed to be a dab of melancholy, but I hate what that picture says at the top of this column and we have to bring our goods to the people, provide good value and incentive to buy.  Even if people are watching their dollars, what dollars they spend should be here. Especially if they live here.